Intercessory prayer for the preacher

If you’ve ever found yourself critiquing a homily, have you also prayed for the priest (or deacon) who delivered it? It’s no easy task to explain the richness of Scripture passages, display their relevance to our daily lives, and convince us to take them to heart – and not to go on too long about it!

As the lay faithful, we should ask the Lord to pour out His graces and gifts upon His ministers, enlightening their minds, anointing their words, and empowering their preaching.

Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, a prominent Dominican theologian of the 20th century, writes that the prerequisites for efficacious preaching are prayer and daily sacrifice. In their absence, preaching “will never be fruitful.” He relates a story to underscore the point:

From time to time, God has revealed that a priest’s success in his preaching has been due to prayer offered in secret by someone else.

There was once a certain lay brother who was the constant companion of a famous preacher, and while this priest was delivering his sermon, the lay brother would pray without ceasing. Many souls were won over to the service of God as a result of these sermons, and it was revealed to the priest that he owed his amazing success to the sincere and humble prayer of that lay brother.

The Priest in Union with Christ, p. 157

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